Staff Spotlight: Jared McGowan, Lighting Director
10/1/2018 12AM
Lighting Director Jared McGowan joined the Center’s staff over three years ago after honing his skills at venues in his native Nashville, Tenn., and at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. A graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, he now lives in the historic Hamilton County town of Sheridan.
Jared was generous enough to respond to some questions about his work, which typically involves putting other people in the spotlight, or unleashing tastefully mind-blowing designs like the one below from our recent Songbook Celebration.
So,
what do you actually do around here?
I am responsible for all theatrical lighting in the Palladium, as well as upkeep and maintenance on all theatrical lighting equipment campuswide. I also design the lighting for any show in the Palladium that doesn’t tour with a lighting designer, which is approximately 60 percent of the shows we do. Most recently, I designed for Buddy Guy and Indigo Girls.
What do most people probably not know about your job?
Most people probably don’t know that, when I design the lighting for shows at the Center, I make the design up on the fly. I don’t get rehearsals or sometimes even a set list. I have to pay attention to what the artist says about the song and let the music tell me what to do.
Are you now, or have you ever been, a performing artist?
I was, actually. In middle/high school, I was in show choir and drama. I did one show in college and realized I wanted to do tech a lot more than I wanted to stress about lines or hitting the right notes.
What are your interests or hobbies outside the Center?
I like playing video games, and I am a want-to-be apprentice hobby blacksmith. I am a member of the Rural Smiths of Mid-America.
When you’re chilling on your own time, what musical artist(s) do you listen to?
I am always listening to something. I am usually on a rotation of Pandora stations of Country Rock, Classic Rock, Celtic, and a station based on Marty Robbins, aka old country. My current favorite song is “Cattleman’s Gun” by Dean Brody.
